Supreme Court: While hearing a matter against Chhattisgarh High Court’s decision, whereby the convict was found guilty of raping two minor girls aged 7 and 8 years, the Division Bench comprising of Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan, JJ. noted that the guidelines for conducting trial against persons who are deaf and mute, but otherwise of sound mind to commit a heinous offence like rape, were not laid down by the Court. Therefore, the Court issued notice to the Union of India and to the State for the purpose of determining the same.
For the matter at hand, the Court declined the convict’s bail application and held that prima facie, the Trial Court as well as the High Court had rightly found the convict guilty of raping the two minor girls, hence, the conviction and consequential sentence awarded to the convict was justified.
[Ramnarayan Manhar v. State of Chhattisgarh, 2024 SCC OnLine SC 577, Order dated: 16-04-2024]
